Fool in Love
by TheLestrangeMistress
Summary: Narcissa knew that she was being a fool, but she couldn't help it.


**This was for Round 2 of the Fortheloveofhp fest which focussed on Narcissa. Beta'd by Spirit.**

Narcissa walked along the aisles at the back of her family library, trying to distract herself from the fact that her sister was about to marry the man she loved.

Rodolphus Lestrange was as charming as he was handsome. The two of them had met before Hogwarts, and Narcissa had simply adored him. They had seen each other often at the tedious social occasions to which their parents had dragged them, and she thought that they had got on pretty well.

When Narcissa had first started Hogwarts everything went well and they became even friendlier, but when the jokes started he had dropped her like she was nothing.

It hurt her more than she could say, but she put a brave face on and didn't let anyone but Bellatrix know how she truly felt.

As the years passed, Narcissa watched him. She watched as he dated girls - only to drop them, like he had her - and she watched him grow into the man she knew he would be. He was not her man though. No, he was her sister's, and that was something she would have to live with.

Bellatrix had known for years that she liked him, and yet she was willing to take her happiness away just to prove a point. That's all it was with Bellatrix; another thing that she could rub in her sister's face. It was like the time Narcissa had told her that she was thinking about going on a date with Lucius, and the next day Bellatrix had told her that she wouldn't be able to go to the next Hogsmeade weekend with him, because she was. It was like one big competition for Bellatrix, and she had to win no matter who got hurt because of it.

It was because of this that Narcissa sometimes wished that Bellatrix had never been born, and that it had just been her and Andromeda instead.

Narcissa heard the loud creek of the library door which announced that she was no longer alone. Not wanting to meet anyone, she went further into the corner and took a book on Greek mythology from shelf just in case she did. It would look sad, after all, if she was just wandering around the library not even reading.

The footsteps started to grow nearer, and she knew that whoever it was would find her.

It was a few minutes before he rounded the corner, and it was not someone she wanted to see.

Rodolphus was standing there, looking debonair in tight fitting charcoal robes.

"Have you seen Bellatrix? We were supposed to go to lunch today and I can't find her," he asked, frustrated.

"She's not here. My mother and Bellatrix went shopping and then to a lunch of their own," Narcissa replied politely.

Rodolphus frowned.

"I guess she forgot," he conceded.

Narcissa shook her head, smiling slightly.

"I'm sure that Bellatrix did remember your plans, but chose not to meet you anyway. It's her play for power. She wants you to know that just because you're engaged doesn't mean that you can make her do something," Narcissa explained, without a shred of guilt.

Bellatrix had told Narcissa all about her plan to make sure that Rodolphus knew she was only marrying him out of duty, and to show him that he would never control her. Her sister had even sworn her to secrecy.

His eyebrows raised a little.

"How do you know that?" he asked curiously.

"She told me."

An awkward silence enveloped them. Neither knew what to say to the other, as they had not held a proper conversation for five years.

"So, how are you keeping up? I haven't heard anything for a while." Rodolphus asked, breaking the silence.

I'm doing well. What about you? I heard that you had been travelling."

"I didn't go far; only to the continent. There wasn't much there that I haven't seen here already," he replied.

Narcissa put the book back onto the shelf and turned to face him again. It was too much for her. Seeing him, being near him and having to feign nonchalance – it was too hard."

"I'd better go. I have things that I need to sort out. Bellatrix would want to know that you were here, so I would leave her a message before you leave," Narcissa said, almost in tears, and trying to hide her feelings from him.

"Are you okay, Narcissa?" he asked gently as he stepped towards her.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. It's nothing to worry about," she replied as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"Don't lie to me. I can tell when you're lying to me, remember?" he said, trying to cheer her up, but having the opposite effect.

Narcissa only cried harder.

The truth was that she could remember. She remembered everything about the time they had spent together; from laughing until she cried, to trying to lie when he had caught her doing something she shouldn't. Each memory was like a stab to her heart, as she knew that they would never be like that again.

He pulled her towards him and hugged her.

"Please tell me what's wrong."

"There's no point. What's done is done, and there's nothing I can do about it now," Narcissa replied, trying to calm herself down.

"What is this about? Can I at least try and help you?" Rodolphus asked sincerely.

Pulling out of his embrace slightly, she lifted her head and looked into his eyes.

"There's nothing you can do about it now. She won and now it's over," Narcissa said, steadying her voice.

"What's over, and how did she win?"

Narcissa shook her head.

She wasn't about to tell him how she felt. Not now that she would never be able to have him.

Bellatrix had won the moment she had told her that he would never look at her like that. Apparently, a man never took a woman whom people teased would become his wife.

"Please, Narcissa. How did she win?" he said, lifting her face to his once again.

The look of concern on his face and in his eyes took her breath away, and the words stumbled out before she could stop them.

"Because she got you."

Rodolphus frowned at first, and his eyes widened when he realised what she meant.

"Why did you never tell me?" he asked, sounding strangled.

"I didn't think that you would want me," Narcissa said quietly.

"What made you think that?"

"You dropped me like I meant nothing to you. All I wanted then was to be your friend, but suddenly you decided that the people who made fun of you were better friends than I was. It hurt me a lot, and I didn't want to go through that again. Bellatrix knew. She was always able to tell when something was wrong, and everything just came out. I knew I shouldn't have told her. I always knew that she would find a way to hurt me with it," Narcissa said bitterly.

"I shouldn't have done what I did. I was fourteen and stupid, and you were the only one who actually listened to me. I missed you afterward, but I was too proud to tell you how I felt. I watched you grow into the lovely woman you are, and I was going to make an offer for your hand, but this business with Bellatrix came up and my father informed me that I was to accept the offer. I tried to tell him that I would have preferred to marry you, but he wouldn't listen. It was Bellatrix, or I'd no longer be a Lestrange," Rodolphus explained.

Silence came over them again as Narcissa digested his words.

"There's still nothing we can do. It doesn't seem to matter how we feel…there will always be something in our way," Narcissa said as her brow furrowed in concentration.

"There is one way, but it would mean leaving everything behind."

"You mean elope?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, it would be the only way that they wouldn't be able to stop us from being together. What do you think?" Rodolphus asked, trying to gauge her reaction.

"It sounds perfect, but we will need to be careful. If they find out then everything will end badly."

"Don't think about that. Can you get some things together for tonight? I know a place where they will do it with no questions asked."

"That will be no problem. Where do you want to meet?" Narcissa asked, feeling a little giddy.

"The old tree at midnight. It should be deserted by then."

"The old tree it is then," Narcissa repeated, smiling.

"I will go and make some arrangements. See you tonight," he said, smiling back.

He pulled her towards him once more and kissed her passionately.

Narcissa had never felt like this before. Every other kiss she had ever had fell dull in comparison.

When it was over he smiled once more and left.

Narcissa knew that she was more than likely a fool, but she was a fool in love, and they did say that love made people do crazy things.


End file.
